Valery Gergiev begins his Brahms cycle with recordings of the first two symphonies, Tragische Ouvertüre and ‘Haydn’ Variations. The performance and recording of Brahms’s symphonies was a new departure for Gergiev, an opportunity he relished with energy and enthusiasm, and his interpretations have been acknowledged as shining new light on these works. He toured the symphonies internationally, among others to the Edinburgh International Festival in 2012.

The ‘Haydn’ Variations was Brahms’s first orchestral work and the first set of independent variations for orchestra by any composer. Brahms’s epic First Symphony, a work of dignity and grandeur, was ecstatically received at its premiere in 1876, and Brahms was soon heralded as one of the great symphonic masters. His Second Symphony, with its joyful melodies and pastoral beauty, is governed by a more relaxed tone than its predecessor. The Tragische Ouvertüre, on the other hand, is turbulent and tormented, possessed of a powerful and magnificent energy.

"... very strongly recommended."

Jerry Dubins - Fanfare - March/April 2014

"... this is the most compelling new recording of the First that I’ve heard in a long time... All four pieces show that Gergiev has a point of view in Brahms. Whether you agree with it wholly or not, this is what makes these performances so good. Gegiev’s way with Brahms - broad, lush, passionate - is not the only way; but it is consistent and very enjoyable, and I hope we’ll see the Third and Fourth before long. The orchestra plays very well ... the sound is good."

"...Gergiev produces a gripping, architecturally secure account of the First Symphony ... While his First Symphony is muscular and big-boned, Gergiev’s account of the Second - distinguished by finer orchestral playing - is refined and sensitive... a delightful reading [Haydn Variations}; not only do the individual variations flow on from one another with admirable fluidity, but they are full of exquisite playing and sensitivity to sonority ..."